


[Oldfic] Precious One

by TheFanficMaster



Series: Old fanfics [28]
Category: Pandora Hearts
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-08-15 06:01:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8045092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFanficMaster/pseuds/TheFanficMaster
Summary: [Oldfic] The festival of blue feathers spurs Reim into confessing to Break before it's too late.





	[Oldfic] Precious One

Break had honestly never expected to live until the next festival, but it was that time again: the streets were alive with tourists and the festival was underway. Boys and girls were presenting each other with small blue feathers, which were meant to be given to their precious ones: more specifically, love interests.

Last year, Break had gone with Oz and the others to enjoy the festival.

This year, he sat in the window of his room, his head leaning against the glass, and his one sightless eye staring blankly down at the Rainsworth gates. Sharon had attempted to coax him out of his room earlier by offering to take him to the festival, but he had pretended to be ill to thwart her off.

It was something he was noticing about himself more and more. He craved isolation, where he didn't have to cover up his mishaps, where he didn't have to force the cough's back down his throat, where he didn't have to plaster a smile on to make everybody happy: when he was alone, the painful coughs racked his body, he ran into walls and doors and swore when he did so, his smile slipped and glimpses of the solemn servant he'd once been shined through.

Maybe it was because he didn't want to face his death just yet, but he didn't want them to know how far gone he was…how much of his life was slipping through his fingers with every precious second.

But there was one person he couldn't hide it from, no matter how much he tried.

" _Xerxes Break, you shouldn't make others worry!"_

A small solemn smile worked its way across his pale face. _'Ah, Reim-san, you are so foolish…you tell me such things and yet, you insist on worrying about me yourself.'_

It was true: Reim was the only one aware of how much his condition was deteriorating. It had been impossible to hide it from the one person who was most attentive to Break's actions and emotions. And ever since he'd begun noticing these changes, Reim had taken to accompanying Break around whenever he could, staying close, as if his mere presence could do anything.

It was just like Reim to do something like that out of concern, Break knew. To Break, Reim could easily be considered his best friend: someone who would stay with him unconditionally, no matter the circumstances, as he'd proven time and time again.

But strangely enough, he hadn't seen Reim today. He told himself that wasn't the reason he was moping, or even that he wasn't moping at all, but rather saving himself the trouble, but he couldn't help but feel a little lonely.

…

Reim…was nervous.

Okay, he was more than nervous. He felt like he was going to purge, scream, and cry all at once. His hands were shaking so bad that he couldn't even adjust his glasses properly and the result was that the spectacles ended up crooked on his face, earning him a few confused glances from some of the other servants.

Reim halted in the middle of an empty hallway to regain his composure, absently tracing his fingers along the smooth blue feather in his pocket, an anxious feeling bubbling up in his stomach.

He wasn't exactly sure why he was doing this. After all, it would do nothing but cause him embarrassment, especially since the person that was to receive the feather probably wouldn't appreciate the sudden gift, but he was determined to go through with it this year: he'd wanted to during the many years beforehand, but had never gained the courage to do so…until he realized that this was to be his last chance.

If he didn't give him the feather now, then he would never know. Break was slipping away from him so fast that Reim felt like if he so much as blinked in the other man's presence that he would be too far away form Reim to reach him. The thought scared him, as much as he tried not to show it, so he'd given in and purchased one of the feathers on his way over to the Rainsworth residence from the Barma household.

And now, on his way to Break's room where he was told the man had been all day, Reim couldn't help but be nervous.

But he _had_ to go through with it. Break needed to know, and Reim was sick and tired of hiding it.

So, taking a deep breath to calm himself, Reim rounded the corner to Xerxes Break's room.

…

"Xerxes?"

Break looked up as Reim entered the room, surprised that he hadn't heard him knock. But instead of inquiring about it, he smiled. It was wide and fake and he knew that Reim could tell, but it was a habit that he would never give up, for fear of letting too much slip through.

"Reim-san, I was wondering where you were! Did Duke Barma give you some extra work?" Break asked, smoothly slipping into his airy façade. To his surprise, he didn't receive an answer, "Reim-san?"

"N-No, I stopped by the festival quickly on my way over here…"

Break couldn't help but blink in surprise, genuine shock adorning his features. Reim was a rather serious person and didn't usually stop in the middle of his duties to have any sort of fun, something that Break had been trying to get him to do for years. So it was strange to hear that Reim had actually stopped to do something for himself, for once.

"Really? So you've finally decided to spice up your boring existence! Congrats!" Break clapped his sleeves together, knowing that this was the best way to rile Reim up, which was something that Break thoroughly enjoyed. However, instead of receiving his usual scolding, Reim merely coughed lightly and moved to sit beside him at the window.

"W-Well, it was important to me…so…"

"Ah…" Was his only reply. It was silent for a few long moments and Break couldn't help but wish that Reim would say something to break the silence, for it had become increasingly awkward over the passing seconds: something that rarely ever happened to them.

"X-Xerxes…"

"Hm? Is something wrong, Reim-san? You're being unusually quiet today," Break commented, wishing that he could see the look on his best friend's face, just to know what he was feeling or thinking. He hated being blind sometimes, despite relenting that he deserved this punishment. He missed his Ojou-sama's beautiful smile, Reim's irritated expression, Alice's narrowed eyes whenever she was mad at him…

He missed it all.

"I…um…why aren't you at the festival with everyone else?"

"I didn't want to go…besides, they didn't want me there anyway," Break shrugged, turning his blind gaze to where he could feel Reim's presence, feigning indifference. He believed it to be true, of course. If he'd been there, all they would do was complain about him getting in the way, or being too strange, or Gilbert would be annoyed because he wanted to spend more time with Oz.

…

Reim blinked, surprised by that answer. So Break…didn't believe they wanted him around? Didn't he realize that they all cared about him, regardless of how irritating he could be, or what's happened in the past?

His fists clenched tightly, _'Xerxes…'_

"You're a fool, Xerxes Break," Reim breathed, tracing his Pandora uniform until he found his pocket…and the blue ribbon. "We care more than you think."

Break didn't respond, but instead rose to move away from the window. Without thinking about what he was doing, Reim grabbed his wrist to halt him, hurriedly standing and reaching for the feather.

"Hm? You're acting weird today, Reim-san. Could it be that a girl confessed her undying lo—"

Before he could finish, the feather was forced into his hands with a push that nearly knocked Break over: had he not been paying attention, he'd be sprawled on the floor like an idiot.

"Reim…san?" Break absently traced the outline of the shape, taking in the texture of the object until he could identify it. When he did, his eye widened in surprise. "R-Reim-san?"

Reim turned to face the other direction, not able to keep eye contact despite knowing that Break couldn't see his expression or embarrassment. A heavy blush adorned his cheeks, but Reim forced himself to calm down before he made a fool of himself.

"I…you're supposed to give it to your precious person…and I…I wanted to do it at least once," Reim explained, silently cursing himself for stuttering so much.

…

Break, for the first time in a long time, honestly had no idea what to say. So he was…Reim's _precious_ person? But the blue feathers were usually meant for…

His eye widened more with shock, realization dawning on him. _'Lovers…these feather's are meant for lovers…'_

The silence was even more awkward than it had been before, so much that even _that_ seemed like an understatement. Break's heart ached with something he did not recognize and that made him uncomfortable, but…he honestly hadn't been expecting Reim to say that he was…in _love_ with him, even if he hadn't said it directly.

"Reim-san, are you…in love with me?" He finally forced himself to ask the question, almost afraid to hear the answer. Reim was a fool. He should never be loved, not with all the sins he's committed, all the blood that stained his hands…all the things he could never be forgiven for…

"Xerxes, I think I loved you before I met you," Was Reim's honest answer, to which Break found himself even more confused and shocked.

"Reim-san…"

…

"I'll miss you…I'll miss you a lot," Reim admitted, finally gathering the courage to look in Break's direction, startled by the genuine surprise that adorned his features. "So don't ever think that we don't care, Xerxes."

He made to turn around and leave, but to his surprise, a fist was suddenly clenching his shirt tightly, forcing him to stay. He looked down at the mass of silvery hair just below his chin, absently taking in the lingering smell of the frothy vanilla shampoo that Break used. It was nice and it suited him.

"Xerxes…"

' _Don't leave!'_

The cry hadn't been aloud, but Reim could still feel it in the way Break's shoulders sagged, in the way his fist closed around the material of his shirt, clenching so tightly that he was afraid it might rip from all the pressure. Break's expression was hidden by his hair, which unnerved Reim a bit.

After all, Break had never… _hugged_ him before.

Suddenly, Break straightened up and before he could say anything, long, nimble fingers were cradling his face and he was suddenly tangled up in the desperate mess that was Xerxes Break.

He almost trembled with the ferocity of Break's kisses. His heart was hammering in his chest and his shaking arms slowly rose to wrap themselves around Break's shoulders, pulling him closer until he couldn't even feel where they became separate entities.

Reim tilted his face, finally closing his eyes and melting into the moment, allowing Break to kiss him and attempting to kiss back as much as he could between Break's almost feverish lips attacking his own. It was harsh, it was gentle, it was desperate, it was…

Break suddenly pulled away, leaving one last kiss on right side of Reim's jaw, his hot breath ghosting over Reim's skin and making him shiver.

"Thank you…Reim…"

Before Reim could react, the albino became a broken mess in his arms, no longer trying to hide the pain, the coughing, the need reflected in his mysterious red eye.

Xerxes Break…broke.

…

Reim stared down at the gravestone, his mind whirling with questions, answers, and secrets.

It was hard…knowing that beneath the very dirt he was standing on lay the body of his most precious friend…the one he loved more than anyone. He could feel the rain beginning to sting his skin and he knew that he should go back inside before he caught his own death, but he just couldn't move from the spot.

Next to the grave, several white roses were planted and were blooming beautifully, a shocking contrast to the thick aura of the grave itself. There was no doubt that Sharon was the one that planted them and that she took care of them every day, as if by doing so she could ease the pain of losing her dear brother.

Gently and despite the damage to his clothes from the soil, Reim knelt down in front of the gravestone. He could barely see anymore since the rain had fogged up his glasses, but he could still read the stone in his mind's eye, the words written clearly as day.

Absently, he traced the ridges and cracks in the stone, swallowing back the cry of anguish that nearly fought itself out. But he couldn't hold it back any longer. His fists clenched and the rain was no longer the only source of his clouded vision, as tears trailed unattended down his cheeks, instantly washed away by the rain.

' _Xerxes…Xerxes…_ _ **Xerxes!'**_

Reim Lunettes…broke.

After a few minutes of choking sobs had run him dry, Reim swallowed heavily and dug around in his pocket, finding what he was looking for.

A blue feather.

"H-Here…you're…supposed to give it to your lover…" Shaking with exhaustion, anguish, and cold, Reim carefully tucked the feather into a small mound of soil near the end of the grave, knowing that even though he couldn't say it, Break could feel his love still, wherever he was.

That would have to be enough.


End file.
